-------------------------------------------------------------------

Patients Air Frustrations With Pot Law (An Associated Press article
in the Herald, in Everett, Washington, says medical-marijuana patients
told lawmakers in Olympia Thursday about their frustrations with Initiative
692, the new voter-approved medical marijuana law. The problems include
doctors who won't write a recommendation out of fear of the federal
government, having to grow the herb themselves, not knowing how much
constitutes a 60-day supply, and not having any easy source of accurate
information. When patients turn for answers to the state Department of
Health, they are rebuffed or just quoted the text of the statute. A legislative
analyst said the Health Department cannot write rules that would offer a
clearer interpretation because the initiative does not explicitly give the
department rulewriting authority. And state officials are wary of drawing the
wrath of the federal government.)

Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 19:41:21 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US WA: MMJ: Patients Air Frustrations With Pot Law
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: John Smith
Source: Herald, The (WA)
Copyright: 1999 The Daily Herald Co.
Website: http://www.heraldnet.com/
Contact: letters@heraldnet.com
Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jan 1999
Author: LAURENCE M. CRUZ, Associated Press

PATIENTS AIR FRUSTRATIONS WITH POT LAW

OLYMPIA - Patients such as Penny Simons, who smokes marijuana to relieve her
debilitating respiratory and heart disease, told lawmakers Thursday of their
frustrations with the new voter-approved medical marijuana initiative.

Simons, 34, of Renton, said she smokes pot for medical reasons even though
her doctor won't give her the documentation the law requires.

"He's afraid he's going to wind up in prison," she said. " ... I don't
smoke it to get stoned. I smoke it to function.

"If that makes me a criminal, then I'm a criminal," she said.

Initiative 692, which took effect Dec. 3, authorized the use of marijuana by
patients with certain terminal or debilitating illnesses, including cancer,
AIDS and glaucoma. It does not provide any legal way for them to obtain it,
but with a doctor's note, patients, or their designated caregiver, can
possess up to a 60-day supply.

But the initiative leaves patients to deduce that they must grow it and how
much constitutes a 60-day supply.

There is nowhere they can turn for easy, accurate information.

They are rebuffed when they turn for answers to the state Department of
Health.

A legislative analyst said the Health Department cannot write rules that
would offer a clearer interpretation because the initiative does not
explicitly give the department rulewriting authority.

And state officials are wary of drawing the wrath of the federal government.

Department spokeswoman Patricia Brown told members of the Senate Health and
Long Term Care Committee that her department has received numerous questions
from health care providers, patients and others seeking clarification. But
the department typically tells them to just read the language in the law,
although that language is vague.

Brown said she refers patients to their doctors for discussion of how much
pot to take.

Seattle's Tim Killian, who was campaign manager for 1-692, said in an
interview that the law was written as specifically "as the federal
govemment's laws would allow a state law to be written."

The state is unfamiliar with the new law and wary of possible federal
lawsuits. He noted a federal injunction against Oakland, Calf., for crafting
a model for the distribution of medical marijuana in that state.

"I think that the federal goveniment have got their foot on this, and it's
tough for the Department of Health to even do what they need to do," Sen.
Lorraine Wojahn, D-Tacoma, said during the hearing.

"Unless we can remove that barrier of the federal government, we're going to
be in big problems, I believe.'

Federal law currently classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning it
is dangerous and has no medical benefit.

Lawmakers took no action but seemed to agree the law needed to be amended to
give the Department of Health more authority to interpret the initiative.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Snohomish County treasurer won't face drug charge (The Seattle Times
says Snohomish County Treasurer Bob Dantini will not be charged
with cocaine possession because, according to authorities, the evidence
against him is too slight to take to trial. It consists of a vial of cocaine
found in the shoe of a woman who turned it over to authorities while
attempting to get Dantini busted. Dantini's lawyer characterizes the woman
as a scorned, jealous former lover who was drunkenly irate over another
woman.)

From: "Bob Owen@W.H.E.N." (when@olywa.net)
To: "_Drug Policy --" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Snohomish County treasurer won't face drug charge
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 19:08:12 -0800
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Posted at 09:03 a.m. PST; Friday, January 22, 1999

Snohomish County treasurer won't face drug charge

by Nancy Montgomery
Seattle Times Snohomish County bureau

Snohomish County Treasurer Bob Dantini will not be charged with cocaine
possession because the evidence against him - a vial of cocaine found in a
girlfriend's shoe inside her car that was parked in his driveway - is too
slight to take to trial, authorities say.

Jerry Ackerman, an assistant state attorney general, yesterday informed
Snohomish County prosecutors that the case could not proceed without
testimony from the woman, who led police to the drug and said she'd hidden
it there to keep it from Dantini. She has told authorities she won't help
with the investigation.

"Without the cooperation of the only witness to the alleged possession of
the controlled substance, there is no link to Mr. Dantini," said Ackerman,
to whom local prosecutors had referred the case. "It's not his car. It's not
his shoe. He's made no statements that would indicate that the cocaine was
his."

Whether prosecutors would refile a misdemeanor-assault charge against
Dantini, who was arrested at his Snohomish house in May for allegedly
attacking the woman, remained unclear.

That charge against Dantini, 47, has languished for seven months. County
prosecutors in June asked an Evergreen District Court judge to dismiss it,
explaining the move would provide time to investigate whether felony drug
charges should be filed, too.

There's been no further review of the misdemeanor-assault charge, to which
Dantini had pleaded not guilty.

Dantini said last night that as far as he was concerned, the matter was
resolved, and he assumed no charges would be refiled.

"This whole thing has been blown out of proportion and sensationalized," he
said. "I've maintained my innocence from the beginning. This thing has eight
months to be resolved. I think this puts the issue to bed, unless it's
raised by my opponent (in this year's re-election campaign). If it is, I'll
say that it's history."

County prosecutors referred the case to the state Attorney General's Office
in June to avoid a conflict of interest.

Misdemeanor case up in air

Jim Townsend, Snohomish County's chief deputy prosecutor, had said state
officials were reviewing "the entire package" on Dantini, both the
drug-possession and assault allegations.

But Ackerman disputed that.

"What I can tell you with assurance is the domestic-violence misdemeanor was
never referred to us. We don't have the resources to pursue misdemeanors,"
he said.

Ackerman said the long delay in the resolution of the drug charge was
because he didn't begin working on the case until August, and he asked
Snohomish County law-enforcement officials to gather additional evidence,
most importantly, a statement from the woman.

"They did do that. They contacted her and the answer was no," Ackerman said.
The woman hired an attorney, who told investigators she was not interested
in talking with authorities.

Townsend said yesterday he still hoped to get an opinion from the attorney
general on the viability of prosecuting the misdemeanor.

If not, he said, it was possible the misdemeanor case would be referred to
another jurisdiction for review. But he said an initial review by county
prosecutors indicated prosecution of Dantini would not be likely.

"There essentially are the same problems that would be encountered with the
drug charge," Townsend said. "It's not a viable prosecution without
cooperation of the alleged victim."

Cooperation is a national issue

Criminal-justice experts, including the National Council of Juvenile and
Family Court Judges, have urged prosecutors to file domestic-violence cases
without regard to the victim's cooperation.

"We call it prosecuting the case without the victim's participation," said
Scott Santoro, head of the domestic-violence unit in the Everett city
attorney's office. "By taking control of the case away from the victim, it's
much more difficult for the batterer to control the situation."

In at least half the cases he prosecutes, Santoro said, the victim does not
participate, for reasons varying from fear of retaliation to money concerns
to feeling responsible for the batterer. "In fact, knowing that, we train
officers to treat the response as if that victim is not going to appear."

That includes writing down what victims say at the scene - "excited
utterance" is admissible in court - taking photographs of injuries and
evidence of an assault, such as broken furniture or dishes, looking for
other witnesses, playing 911 tapes in court, and taking note of the
emotional state of the victim.

Since his unit started using such techniques, domestic-violence-assault
convictions have increased from about 40 percent to better than 65 percent,
said Santoro. More jurisdictions are adopting an aggressive style of
prosecution, he said.

Townsend said that in the Dantini case, prosecuting without the alleged
victim probably wouldn't work. He declined to say why.

Woman is a former girlfriend

Dantini, elected treasurer in 1995, is in charge of the county's investment
portfolio and 30 staffers. He came to the attention of the criminal-justice
system after Snohomish County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call at
1 a.m. May 28.

Officers found an emotionally distraught 27-year-old woman inside Dantini's
Snohomish-area house. She had a torn top, a bleeding knee, and redness on
her chest and neck. She was shaking and crying, and collapsed on the kitchen
floor, where she was surrounded by broken dishes, according to a police
affidavit.

She asked police to leave "so that things did not get worse for her,"
according to the affidavit. She said Dantini had ordered her to say nothing
had happened.

The woman told police she was Dantini's former fiancee and had been in a
relationship with him, on and off, for four years.

She said she and Dantini had argued over cocaine she'd found in his pants
and then hidden. When she refused to say where it was, he "charged" her and
she pushed him away, she said.

Then, she said, he'd shoved her to the floor, choked her and threatened to
kill her, according to police documents.

The woman told police she'd put the drug in a shoe in her car, and gave them
the keys. Officers noted she had been drinking; she said she and Dantini
both had drunk too much alcohol that evening.

Dantini appeared at the back door of the house, according to the affidavit,
and followed the woman and a sheriff's deputy interviewing her, despite
being told by the deputy to stay away. His presence caused her to cry and
tremble, the deputy noted.

When warned again to back off, "Mr. Dantini made it known to the deputy that
he was the Snohomish County treasurer, an elected official," the affidavit
says.

Dantini denies accusations

Dantini told police that he did not assault his former fiancee, a
5-foot-3-inch, 100-pound woman. He was only defending himself, he said.

"She attacked him and he forced her to the ground in order to keep her from
hitting and kicking him," said Dantini's lawyer, James Trujillo.

Trujillo characterized her as a scorned, jealous lover who was drunkenly
irate over another woman, and said Dantini denied he'd threatened to kill
her.

Trujillo offered no explanation for why the woman led police to cocaine in
the car, but said Dantini denied having or using drugs.

The former fiancee has said she's uninterested in participating in
prosecuting Dantini because she wants "to move on."

Dantini's former wife got a restraining order to keep him away after she
filed for divorce in 1986, saying that although he'd never hit her or their
three children, he'd thrown furniture, punched walls and had an "explosive
temper."

Dantini's arrest hasn't seemed to damage his career. A month after, county
treasurers from across the state unanimously elected him vice president of
the Washington State Association of County Treasurers.

Dantini said he's focusing on winning re-election in November. "I'm running
my campaign on my record in office, and I'm proud of our record," he said.
"I think what's important to the taxpayers of Snohomish County is that their
money is accounted for properly and it's invested wisely and safely."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

'98 Candidate Is Arrested In Marijuana Case (The Contra Costa Times version)

Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 09:12:38 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: MMJ: '98 Candidate Is Arrested In Marijuana Case
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: rlake@mapinc.org
Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jan 1999
Source: Contra Costa Times (CA)
Copyright: 1999 Contra Costa Newspapers Inc.
Website: http://www.hotcoco.com/index.htm
Forum: http://www.hotcoco.com/cocotalk/index.htm
Contact: cctletrs@netcom.com

'98 candidate is arrested in marijuana case

TAHOE CITY -- The 1998 Libertarian Party candidate for governor and his
wife were arrested after authorities said they found about 300 marijuana
plants in their home.

Steve and Michele Kubby were detained Tuesday at their Olympic Valley home
near Tahoe City for investigation of cultivation of marijuana, possession
of marijuana for sale and conspiracy.

They were being held Wednesday at the Placer County jail in Auburn in lieu
of $100,000 bail each and were scheduled to be arraigned today in Tahoe City.

Lt. Mike Allen of the North Tahoe Task Force, a law enforcement unit made
up of investigators from Placer and Washoe counties and the Nevada Division
of Investigation, said officers found about 300 marijuana plants at the
Kubby residence.

Officers said the plants are capable of producing five ounces to a pound
each of marijuana and have a street value of about $420,000.

The couple's attorney, Dale Wood of Truckee, said the marijuana officers
found at the Kubbys' home was being legally grown for medical purposes and
that the amount of bail was "insane."

"You find people who committed robbery, crimes of violence who have lower
bail settings than that," Wood said. "It's like they have some heinous
criminal who has hurt someone. In fact, what they are growing is medical
marijuana."

Proposition 215, approved by California voters in 1996, attempted to allow
seriously ill patients to grow and use marijuana to ease pain and nausea
with a doctor's recommendations.

But efforts to implement the measure have largely failed because opposition
from former state Attorney General Dan Lungren and the federal government.

Lungren's successor, Democrat Bill Lockyer, has said he wants to make the
proposition work.

Wood said Steve Kubby uses marijuana as part of his treatment for cancer
and hypertension.

"Marijuana is the only thing that has been able to assist him," Wood said.
"He has been advised by more than one physician to use marijuana."

Wood said Michele Kubby also uses marijuana for a medical condition but he
said he didn't know any details about her illness.

Steve Kubby, 52, publisher of an online recreation magazine, ran fourth in
the race for governor in November, taking nearly 1 percent of the vote.

Mark Hinkle, chairman of the California Libertarian Party, called the
arrests "an outrage and a slap across the faces of California voters."

"Steve and Michele Kubby are law-abiding citizens, and the police have no
authority to raid their home, throw them in jail and jeopardize Steve's
health," Hinkle said in a statement.

"How long will the state of California continue violating the will of the
voters? How many people will have to suffer or die before the government
realizes the extreme harm it is causing medical marijuana patients who are
denied their rightful medicine?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Drug Lord Sentenced After 20-Year Flight (The San Francisco Examiner
says a federal judge on Friday sentenced recaptured fugitive Nicholas Sand
to an additional five-year term, to be served consecutively. Sand, a disciple
of Augustus Owsley Stanley and one of the Bay Area's leading manufacturers
and distributors of LSD, fled a 15-year prison sentence in 1976 while out
on appeal.)

Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 03:27:16 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Drug Lord Sentenced After 20-Year Flight
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jan 1999
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Copyright: 1999 San Francisco Examiner
Website: http://www.examiner.com/
Forum: http://examiner.com/cgi-bin/WebX
Contact: letters@examiner.com
Author: Eric Brazil, The Examiner Staff
Page: A 4

DRUG LORD SENTENCED AFTER 20-YEAR FLIGHT

Sausalito Man Set Up New Lsd Lab In Canada

One September day in 1976, Nicholas Sand quietly slipped out of his
Sausalito houseboat and vanished, leaving behind a 15-year prison
sentence, frustrated FBI agents, a probation officer and a whiff of
mystery that lingered for 20 years.

On Friday, Sand's run for daylight ended. He's going to prison for 20
years.

Throughout the halcyon hippie days of the '60s and early '70s, Sand, a
disciple of Augustus Owsley Stanley, grand master of the LSD culture,
had been one of the Bay Area's leading manufacturers and distributors
of the hallucinogenic drug. His escape was an embarrassment to law
enforcement.

Indicted in 1973 for manufacturing LSD and income-tax evasion, Sand
was convicted by a federal jury in 1974 and sentenced to 15 years in
prison by Judge Samuel Conti.

An appellate court subsequently freed Sand on $50,000 bail.

On Sept. 11, 1976, two FBI agents who had been conducting surveillance
and a probation officer who had arrived to give Sand the news that his
appeal had failed converged on Sand's Sausalito houseboat, only to
find that he had skipped out.

On Sept. 26, 1996, the law caught up with Sand in Canada. He has been
behind bars since.

Justice was delayed, but Friday, Sand, 58, appeared again before Judge
Conti, who threw the book at him.

In addition to his original 15-year sentence, the judge tacked on five
more years, to be served consecutively - that is, after he has
completed the longer sentence.

"The defendant was a serious drug manufacturer when he was last before
this court in 1974," Conti said. "He continued in that business and
committed other serious crimes on his 20-year odyssey."

When Sand appeared before Conti at his original sentencing, the judge
reproached him for having "contributed to the degradation of mankind."

As Sand stood before him again, Conti recalled, "He told me, "Your
honor, I'm very sorry for what I've done. I would never do anything
like that again' and that he had reformed (his) ideas and goals," Conti said.

In fact, Sand never gave up manufacturing LSD and dealing drugs. He
simply moved his operation to Canada, where, living under false names
with false identities taken from dead Canadian citizens, he created an
LSD lab that flabbergasted Canadian Royal Mounted police when they
busted it in 1996.

Street value of the drugs found in Sand's Vancouver-area laboratory
was $6.5 million. "The LSD alone had a value of $3.2 million," the
Supreme Court of British Columbia found when it sentenced him to nine
years in prison last February.

Sand, the Canadian court said, "was the head of the organization that
manufactured these drugs and received 75 percent of the profits. This
was an expensive, sophisticated laboratory . . . on a par with one
that would be found in a university."

Mountie Staff Sgt. Kenneth Ross told The Examiner that at the time of
his arrest, Sand's lab "was literally better than the Health Canada
lab" and produced extremely high-quality LSD. Sand "is an icon in the
world of illicit drugs," he said.

Sand's drug organization is believed to have had operations in
Belgium, Mexico and Honduras, as well as the Bay Area. Its
distribution network included Hells Angels and the Brotherhood of
Eternal Love, a cult founded by the late LSD guru Timothy Leary.

In arguing for his innocence on the bail-jumping charge, Sand said
that he had never been formally notified that he should appear for
sentencing in 1976. Judge Conti found him guilty of the charge in October.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Parole board frees woman imprisoned for 20 years on drug charge
(The Associated Press says Michigan officials unanimously agreed Friday
to release JeDonna Young, 44, who was sentenced to life in prison
without parole in 1978, making her the first person freed under a new law
that allows parole for lifers after 20 years. Ms. Young was driving with her
boyfriend James Gulley in 1978 when Detroit police stopped her car and found
nearly 3 pounds of heroin. Gulley said it was his; Ms. Young said she didn't
know it was there. They were both convicted. Gulley died in prison
last year.)

From: "Bob Owen@W.H.E.N." (when@olywa.net)
To: "_Drug Policy --" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Parole board frees woman imprisoned for 20 years on drug charge
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 19:19:15 -0800
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Parole board frees woman imprisoned for 20 years on drug charge

By Jim Suhr
Associated Press
01/22/99 18:20

DETROIT (AP) - Michigan officials unanimously agreed Friday to release a
woman sent to prison for life without parole in a 1978 heroin case, making
her the first person freed under a new law that allows parole for lifers
after 20 years.

JeDonna Young, 44, plans to live with her mother, perhaps working at a law
firm to make use of the college degree she earned while in Scott Regional
Correctional Facility, where she works as a paralegal. Parole officials must
approve those plans.

"My client couldn't believe her ears," said her attorney, Stuart Friedman.
"She's had so many false starts over the years.

"Now she's scared - it's been 21 years, and the world's changed. She's going
out there and putting together the pieces and restarting her life. It's
going to take a lot to get adjusted to things."

Ms. Young was driving with her boyfriend James Gulley in 1978 when Detroit
police stopped her car and found nearly 3 pounds of heroin. Gulley said it
was his; Ms. Young said she didn't know it was there. They were both
convicted under a new, unforgiving anti-drug law. Gulley died in prison last
year.

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reluctantly upheld Ms. Young's conviction
in 1989 but said it was unconvinced she was the kind of drug dealer the law
was designed for.

Last year, the Legislature amended the lifer law to allow parole after 20
years. The change took effect Oct. 1, allowing convicts to become eligible
after 15 years if they cooperated with police and did not have prior felony
convictions.

At a parole hearing Thursday, Ms. Young, who has a 27-year-old son, said she
hoped for the best.

"Until I actually walk out the door, that's when I'll believe it," she said.
"I pray all the time. That's what got me through it. It's kept me strong."

***

When away, you can STOP and RESTART W.H.E.N.'s news clippings by sending an
e-mail to majordomo@hemp.net. Ignore the Subject: line. In the body put
"unsubscribe when" to STOP. To RESTART, put "subscribe when" in the e-mail
instead (No quotation marks.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

New additions to the Stanton Peele Addiction Web Site (A press release
provides summaries of case studies and other papers recently added to the web
site of the only treatment specialist belonging to the Drug Reform
Coordination Network.)

X-Organisation: Faculty of Environmental Sciences
University of Amsterdam
Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130
NL-1018 VZ Amsterdam
X-Fax: +31 20 525 5822
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 15:43:40 +0100
To: "DRCTalk Reformers' Forum" (drctalk@drcnet.org)
From: Arjan Sas (A.Sas@FRW.UVA.NL)
Subject: The Stanton Peele Addiction Web Site
Sender: owner-drctalk@drcnet.org

The following new pieces have been entered at the Stanton Peele Addiction
Web Site.

***

What Can We Expect from Treatment of Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Abuse?

During the period of maximum growth of adolescent hospitalization for
substance abuse, Stanton wrote an article addressed to pediatricians in
order to remind them of the wisdom of the ages: family and cultural
background are critical for learning how to drink and other values which
determine children's resistance to substance abuse; substance abuse in
adolescence is generally a stand-in for a set of other individual, family,
and cultural dysfunction; most adolescent substance abuse is experimental
and disappears with maturity; even clearly dysfunctional substance use
rarely justifies hospitalization, while the message that a child is
permanently afflicted with the disease of alcoholism/addiction should be
avoided at all costs.

http://www.peele.net/lib/expect.html

***

Letter on behalf of a boat pilot coerced into alcohol treatment and
aftertreatment.

Stanton here analyzes the case of a boat pilot who was forced to undergo
treatment by his EAP and by a psychiatrist member of the American Society
of Addiction Medicine (ASAP). (Stanton's letter was made a part of the
case record as the pilot successfully sought to overturn the EAP's
aftercare recommendations.) Stanton was assisted by the actual tape
recording made by the pilot of a session in which he confronted the
psychiatrist with the psychiatrist's reporting to the pilot's employer
without notifying the pilot. The case raises the issues of informed
consent, full disclosure, inaccurate diagnosis of alcohol dependence, and
the host of other issues confronted by people caught in the web of EAPs and
employer-based treatment referrals.

http://www.peele.net/legal/pilot.html

***

Cocaine and the Concept of Addiction: Environmental Factors in Drug
Compulsions

In this classic piece, Stanton and Richard DeGrandpre review human and
animal research against the claim that cocaine is such a powerful
reinforcer that it invariably causes the organism with unlimited access to
self-administer the drug to the exclusion of all other activity and reward,
often until death. In place of this model, Stanton and Rich apply
behavioral economic research and models which show that animals balance the
opportunities for available rewards, among which cocaine appears to be a
strong but far from overwhelming or unique example. They contrast their
view with that of Nobel prize-winning economist Gary Becker, who rather
than suggesting an economic model of behavior instead imagines that drugs
create a biologically compelling state that drives the addict's behavior.

http://www.peele.net/lib/cocaine.html

***

"One of the Major Problems of Our Society": Imagery and Evidence of Drug
Harms in U.S. Supreme Court Decisions

Stanton and Douglas Husak (a professor of Philosophy and Law at Rutgers)
analyze the principal cases in which the U.S. Supreme Court has discussed
the harm associated with drug use. Stanton and Doug are then able to
evaluate the susceptibility of the Court to popular hysteria and
misinformation about drugs, and the sometimes bizarre logic employed in

these decisions, along with some penetrating dissents that have come quite
close to the heart of the matter. Based on the claims about what is wrong
with drug use made by Supreme Court justices, and the ease with which these
can be disproven, drugs should be legalized.

http://www.peele.net/lib/supreme.html

***

A Provocative Outsider: Dr. Stanton Peele in Australia

Jeffrey Moss, one of the hosts for Stanton during the inauguration of the
Stanton Peele Addiction Lecture at Deakin University in Melbourne,
interviewed Stanton about the genesis of his ideas and his exploration of
the addiction concept through several decades.

http://www.peele.net/aab/brisbane.html

***

Ask Stanton

In the past weeks Stanton has answered the following questions:

- Is putting people into a coma an effective addiction treatment?
- What do you think of interventions?
- Does natural remission still work as well as treatment; how do you do it?
- Tell me how to get off of methadone.
- Why can't people just stop using drugs, and should addicts be maintained
on drugs?
- They put people in addiction treatment without withdrawal symptoms!
- What's the most important factor in overcoming alcoholism?
- As a nonspecialist, I am worried about dealing with a drug abusing client
- what are my prospects and liabilities?
- Do antidepressants work?
- What do you think of SMART Recovery?
- Tell me if I have a drinking problem in five minutes or less.
- Want to read a really sick suggestion for teen drinking?

http://www.peele.net/

***

This message was issued on the Stanton Peele Mailing List. To join this
low volume read-only list, send e-mail to webmaster@sas.nl and in the
subject field say only "SUBSCRIBE PEELE". To leave this list send a
message to the same address saying "UNSUBSCRIBE PEELE".

The Stanton Peele Addiction Web Site - http://www.peele.net/

***

Arjan Sas - Researcher / Website Administrator
CEDRO - Centre for Drug Research, University of Amsterdam
Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
phone: +31 20 5254061 - fax: +31 20 5254317
http://www.frw.uva.nl/cedro>http://www.frw.uva.nl/cedro/

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cannabis Nation Radio Hour - We're High on Air! (A news release
from Cannabis Culture magazine in British Columbia publicizes a new
syndicated radio show devoted exclusively to cannabis issues - plus a list
of about 80 stations in British Columbia that will broadcast the show.)

From: creator@drugsense.org (Cannabis Culture)
To: cclist@drugsense.org
Subject: CC: THE CANNABIS NATION RADIO HOUR (We're High on Air!)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 22:32:08 -0800
Lines: 141
Sender: creator@drugsense.org
Reply-To: creator@drugsense.org
Organization: Cannabis Culture (http://www.cannabisculture.com/)

THE CANNABIS NATION RADIO HOUR (We're High on Air!)
Available Across British Columbia

A full hour of international cannabis news, marijuana music, interviews
with pot activists, and bongfulls more! Hosted by Reverend Damuzi, Randy
Caine and Ashera Jones. Upcoming guests include:

1. Brothers Michael Baldasaro and Walter Tucker of the Church of the
Universe -- The brothers believe that marijuana is the sacred Tree of Life,
and advocate nudity. They have fought numerous court battles and suffered
much persecution as a result. There have also been many victories for the
two ministers.

2. Dana Larsen -- Mr Larsen is the editor of Cannabis Culture Magazine. He
will be speaking about recent research which indicates that marijuana not
only protects the brain from strokes, but also prevents cancer.

3. Jason Rowsom -- Mr Rowsom was present when Abbotsford SWAT team members
rushed in on a seven-year-old's birthday party and shot the family dog,
splattering blood on a newborn infant which was nursing at its mother's
breast. The event was so distorted by the police public relations
representatives and the media that the public clamored for the arrest of
the parents who had allowed their children to be present at the party.

The Cannabis Nation Radio Hour is available across British Columbia. In the
Vancouver area, it is available on the air, by antenna. In other parts of
BC, it is available on cable at the frequencies listed at the end of this
message.

If you are interested in
-contributing marijuana music
-appearing on the show
-giving us a news tip
-hosting the Cannabis Nation Radio Hour your local station
Or if you have any other questions, then please contact the Reverend Damuzi
at mailto:chaplain@cannabisculture.com

The Cannabis Nation Radio Hour is available on the following stations in
British Columbia (listed alphabetically):

Abbotsford 102.7
Anmore 102.9
Belcarra 102.9
Brackendale 103.1
Burnaby 102.9
Campbell River 103.1
Cassidy 88.9
Cedar 88.9
Charlie Lake 102.7
Chilliwack 102.7
Cobble Hill 103.1
Colwood 92.1
Comox 102.7
Coombs 103.1
Coquitlam 102.9
Courtenay 102.7
Cowichan 103.1
Crofton 103.1
Cultus Lake 102.7
Cumberland 102.7
Dawson Creek 102.7
Delta 102.9
Deep Bay 103.1
Duncan 103.1
Errington 103.1
Fort St John 102.7
Gabriola Island 88.9
Gibsons 103.1
Halfmoon Bay 103.1
Harewood 88.9
Hatzic Lake 102.9
Hilliers 103.1
Hundred Mile House 102.7
Kaleden 105.3
Kamloops 102.7
Kelowna 102.7
Ladner 102.9
Ladysmith 88.9
Langdale 103.1
Langford 103.1
Langley 102.9
Lantzville 88.9
Lavington 90.9
Lions Bay 102.9
Lumby 90.9
Maple Ridge 102.9
Matsqui 102.7
Mission 102.9
Nanaimo 88.9
Nanoose 103.1
Naramata 105.3
New Westminister 102.9
North Vancouver 102.9
Okanagan Falls 105.3
Parksville 103.1
Penticton 105.3
Pitt Meadows 102.9
Point Roberts 102.9
Port Alberni 102.7
Port Coquitlam 102.9
Port Moody 102.9
Powell River 103.1
Prince George 102.7
Protection Island 88.9
Quadra Island 103.1
Qualicum Beach 103.1
Quesnel 102.7
Rosedale 102.7
Rutland 102.7
Saanich 92.1
Saltspring Island 102.7
Sechelt 103.1
Sidney 92.1
Sooke 92.1
Squamish 103.1
Summerland 105.3
(North) Surrey 102.9
(South) Surrey 102.7
Taylor 102.7
Tsawassen 102.9
Vancouver 102.9
Vernon 90.9
Victoria 103.1
Wellington 88.9
Westbank 102.7
West Vancouver 102.9
Whistler 103.1
White Rock 102.7
Williams Lake 102.7
Winfield 102.7
Yarrow 102.7
Yellowpoint 88.9

Dan Loehndorf
Assistant Editor
Cannabis Culture Magazine

***

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***

Subscribe to Cannabis Culture Magazine!
Write to: 324 West Hastings Street, Vancouver BC, CANADA, V6B 1A1
Call us at: (604) 669-9069, or fax (604) 669-9038. Visit Cannabis
Culture online at http://www.cannabisculture.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ontario students file suit over strip search (The Associated Press says nine
ninth-grade students are suing local and provincial school authorities
for $100,000 each. The boys were among 19 ninth-graders at Kingsville
District High School in southwestern Ontario who were told to strip on Dec. 4
after a student complained that $90 had been stolen from his gym bag.
No money was found.)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Ontario students file suit over strip search
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 10:26:00 -0800
Lines: 32

Friday, January 22, 1999

Ontario students file suit over strip search

TORONTO (AP) -- Nine ninth-grade students are suing local and
provincial school authorities over a mass strip search conducted by a
teacher and vice principal who were trying to solve a reported theft.

"These students were frightened, humiliated and degraded," their
lawyer, Jerry Levitan, told a news conference Friday.

The boys were among 19 ninth-graders at Kingsville District High
School in southwestern Ontario who were told to strip on Dec. 4 after
a student complained that $90 had been stolen from his gym bag. No
money was found.

Named in the suit are the gym teacher, Dan Bondy, and the vice
principal who helped him conduct the search, John MacDonald. The suit
also names the regional school board and Ontario's Education Ministry.

Levitan said he might seek damages of about $100,000 per student.

"Serious harm has been done and there has been no accountability and
no acceptance of responsibility," he said.

MacDonald and Bondy received 10-day suspensions without pay and were
transferred to jobs in other schools. MacDonald was demoted and
ordered to return to classroom duties.

Police investigated the incident but did not file charges against
Bondy or MacDonald.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Papal Blessing Unlikely For Mexican Saint Of Narcos
(Reuters says Pope John Paul may not know or approve, but the country
where he was due to arrive for a four-day visit on Friday has a "Patron
Saint of the Drug Traffickers" in its panoply of unofficial icons. In
Culiacan, the capital of Mexico's northern state of Sinaloa, a plaster image
stands in a rudimentary "chapel" in honour of Jesus Malverde, a Mexican-style
Robin Hood who robbed the rich to help the poor earlier this century. The
chapel now attracts a following of misfits - everyone from common crooks
to big-time drug dealers.)

Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 00:06:59 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Mexico: Wire: Papal Blessing Unlikely For Mexican Saint Of
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: General Pulaski
Pubdate: 22 Jan 1999
Source: Reuters
Copyright: 1999 Reuters Limited.
Author: Emilio Fernandez

PAPAL BLESSING UNLIKELY FOR MEXICAN SAINT OF NARCOS

CULIACAN, Mexico, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Pope John Paul may not know or
approve, but the country where he was due to arrive for a four-day visit on
Friday has a "Patron Saint of the Drug Traffickers" in its panoply of
unofficial icons.

In this capital city of Mexico's northern state of Sinaloa -- in the heart
of the country's traditional badlands of outlaws and hard-bitten cowboys --
a plaster image of a moustachioed man with a white shirt and black scarf
stands in a rudimentary "chapel."

The statue is in honour of Jesus Malverde, a Mexican-style Robin Hood who
robbed the rich to help the poor earlier this century and who now attracts
a following of misfits -- everyone from common crooks to big-time drug
dealers.

For centuries, Mexicans have put their faith in all kinds of divinities,
from Aztec gods to the God of their conquistadors, and their most revered
icon is the Virgin of Guadalupe, a dark-skinned Mary who represents a
fusion of the two cultures.

The faith extends to all areas of life. When Mexico's national soccer team
faced a key match in last year's World Cup in France, several Catholic
congregations dressed up Christ-child icons in the team's national colours
in a bid to give their side an added boost.

The chapel dedicated to Malverde is not recognised or approved of by the
Catholic Church. Yet it is festooned with crucifixes and images of the
Virgin of Guadalupe.

There is also a three-piece band and people selling reproductions of
Malverde's statue, candles and cassettes with the folk songs telling tell
the legend of the so called "Angel of the Poor."

It was built a block away from the place where, according to the legend,
Malverde was hanged from a tree in 1909 by authorities trying to set a
crime-fighting example.

Eligio Gonzalez, self-described chaplain and builder of the Malverde
shrine, would not rule out that drug traffickers visit. He lamented that
Malverde had been so closely linked to them.

"He is not the 'Saint of the Narcos', he is a saint of the poor, of the
rich, and of whoever wants," Gonzalez said.

"All kinds of people come -- 'federales' (federal agents), military. I
can't tell if they are narcos," he added.

Gonzalez said he decided to dedicate his life to the cause after he was
shot four times by robbers in 1973 and asked Malverde to help him pull
through.

A recent visitor to the shrine was typical of many of Malverde's followers.
A man about 25 years old he wore snake-skin boots, and a belt buckle with
images of an AK-47 -- drug traffickers' weapon of choice -- and a marijuana
leaf.

He wore a black baseball cap that read "The Lord of the Skies", the
nickname given to the late drug kingpin Amado Carrillo Fuentes for his
ability to move huge shipments of cocaine into the United States aboard
retired jetliners.

In 1982, the Diocese of Culiacan published a text in local newspapers
condemning the adoration of Malverde. But his popularity does not seem to
be waning.

"The priests used to get annoyed but now they do not say anything,"
Gonzalez said. "On the contrary, now they congratulate me because of the
good work I do. Only God knows why He put me here."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Student Drug Use Report Withheld (The Sydney Morning Herald,
in Australia, says the withdrawal of a report said to show alarming patterns
of drug use among adolescents, based on the 1996 Australian School Students'
Alcohol and Drugs Survey, has been condemned as politically motivated.
The report was the second this week to have its release cancelled.
On Wednesday a drug users' advocacy group abruptly cancelled the release
of a needle exchange report that contradicted State Government policy.)

Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 07:04:00 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Australia: Student Drug Use Report Withheld
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: kenbo01@ozemail.com.au (Ken Russell)
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Website: http://www.smh.com.au/
Contact: letters@smh.fairfax.com.au
Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jan, 1999
Author: Julie Robotham, Medical Writer

STUDENT DRUG USE REPORT WITHHELD

The withdrawal of a report said to show alarming patterns of drug use among
adolescents has been condemned by anti-drug campaigners as politically
motivated.

The report was the second this week to have its release cancelled. On
Wednesday a drug users' advocacy group abruptly cancelled the release of a
needle exchange report that contradicted State Government policy. The
report into adolescent drug use uses data from the 1996 Australian School
Students' Alcohol and Drugs Survey, which interviewed 5,000 high school
students aged 12 to 17 from 143 NSW schools.

Sources close to the survey said it revealed rapidly escalating rates of
drug use among teenagers outside Sydney, where rates used to be low, and
very high use of heroin and cocaine in Sydney hotspots.

There is also said to be evidence of an epidemic of anabolic steroid abuse,
and an increase in marijuana, alcohol and tobacco use.

The long-awaited report was to be released next Monday. When the event was
called off yesterday, health professionals had been invited but not the
media. A spokeswoman for the NSW Cancer Council, which prepared the report
for the Department of Health, blamed the delay on "printing difficulties".
But a less controversial companion survey the same data - on students'
physical activity and sun protection practices - was unaffected by the
problem, she said. She could not say when the launch might be rescheduled.

The raw data was received in 1997. The Herald sought comment from the
office of the Minister for Health, Dr Refshauge, but was referred to his
department, where a spokesman said most of the survey's results had been
released in a September summary. It revealed that a third of those surveyed
indulged in regular binge drinking and 30 to 40 per cent had tried cannabis.

But the executive director of the Network of Alcohol and other Drug
Agencies, Mr Peter Connie, called the summary "very inappropriate", adding:
"It was a very selective assimilation of some of the data."

It provided no comparative data over time which would have shown how
teenage drug taking had increased, Mr Connie said, and it did not present
regional differences.

"There's an election on March 27," he said. "I would strongly suspect that
that information would not be published in any full sense by that time."

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Council's information manager, Mr
Paul Dillon, said it was morally wrong for the figures to be withheld,
because old information was ineffective in youth education campaigns.
"Trends in drug use change so quickly we should have those results almost
instantly," he said.

The chief executive officer of Action on Smoking and Health, Ms Anne Jones,
said there should be no political interference in public health data.

"The Cancer Council's in a difficult position of having to do this jointly
with [the Department of] Health. I find it very odd it's taken so long, and
I hope the fact that there's an election in March has not deterred [the
Government] in any way from releasing the information."

Ms Jones produced figures, from peak health bodies, showing NSW spent 10c a
person on anti-smoking campaigns in 1996, down from 34c in 1995 and a
fraction of the national average of 50c.

But without the figures for teenagers, it was impossible to gauge the
effect of the Carr Government's apparent lack of commitment to anti-smoking
campaigns.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue No. 75 (The Drug Reform Coordination
Network's original compilation of news and calls to action regarding drug
policy, including - Will Foster parole denied; Senate Republicans push a
Drug-Free Century Act; New York Mayor Giuliani reverses himself on methadone;
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Kubby arrested for medical
marijuana; Humboldt residents testify to environmental harm of anti-marijuana
helicopters; and an editorial by Adam J. Smith, Standing at the schoolhouse
door.)

Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 02:28:13 -0500
To: drc-natl@drcnet.org
From: DRCNet (drcnet@drcnet.org)
Subject: The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #75
Sender: owner-drc-natl@drcnet.org

The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #75 - January 22, 1998
A Publication of the Drug Reform Coordination Network

-------- PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE --------

(To sign off this list, mailto:listproc@drcnet.org with the
line "signoff drc-natl" in the body of the message, or
mailto:lists@drcnet.org for assistance. To subscribe to
this list, visit http://www.drcnet.org/signup.html.)

(This issue can be also be read on our web site at
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/075.html. Check out the DRCNN
weekly radio segment at http://www.drcnet.org/drcnn/.)

PERMISSION to reprint or redistribute any or all of the
contents of The Week Online is hereby granted. We ask that
any use of these materials include proper credit and, where
appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If
your publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet
requests checks payable to the organization. If your
publication does not pay for materials, you are free to use
the materials gratis. In all cases, we request notification
for our records, including physical copies where material
has appeared in print. Contact: Drug Reform Coordination
Network, 2000 P St., NW, Suite 615, Washington, DC 20036,
(202) 293-8340 (voice), (202) 293-8344 (fax), e-mail
drcnet@drcnet.org. Thank you.

Articles of a purely educational nature in The Week Online
appear courtesy of the DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise
noted.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Will Foster Parole Denied
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/075.html#noparole

2. Senate Republicans Push a Drug-Free Century Act
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/075.html#century

3. New York Mayor Giuliani Reverses Himself on Methadone
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/075.html#giuliani

4. California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Kubby Arrested
for Medical Marijuana
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/075.html#kubby

5. Humboldt Residents Testify to Environmental Harm of Anti-
Marijuana Helicopters
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/075.html#copters

6. EDITORIAL: Standing at the Schoolhouse Door
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/075.html#editorial

***

1. Will Foster Parole Denied

DRCNet received word just prior to press time that Oklahoma
Governor Frank Keating has denied parole to Will Foster
despite the unanimous recommendation of the state parole
board, the strong support of various officials of the prison
where Will had been housed for over a year (online at
http://www.drcnet.org/foster/, and calls, faxes, letters
and e-mail from all over the world urging his release. No
reason was given by the governor for the denial.

Word in Oklahoma is that George W. Bush Jr. is considering
Keating from among a short list of candidates for the Vice
Presidential spot on his ticket, should Bush run and win the
Republican nomination. Being that both Bush and Keating
have been unrelenting drug warriors, it would appear that
paroling Foster would not have been politically
advantageous.

Foster will be eligible to appear in front of the parole
board again in a year.

DRCNet wants to thank all of our subscribers who took the
time to reach out to Governor Keating on Will Foster's
behalf, and to urge you not to get discouraged, but to put
the same energy into the efforts that will help one day win
freedom for all the nonviolent drug offenders. We are in a
hard fight, but it is a fight that can one day be won. We
will, of course, keep you up to date on Will Foster's
situation, and how you can help him next year.

***

2. Senate Republicans Push a Drug-Free Century Act

- Scott Ehlers, Senior Policy Analyst, Drug Policy Foundation,
http://www.dpf.org

Senate Republicans took time out from the impeachment
hearings on Tuesday, January 19, to present their newest
scheme for creating a drug-free America: S. 5, the Drug-Free
Century Act (DFCA), and a slew of individual bills that
contain elements of the omnibus DFCA. The omnibus DFCA is
"comprehensive" according to the sponsor, Sen. DeWine (R-
OH), containing "treatment, education, domestic law
enforcement, and drug interdiction."

An analysis of the bill, however, reveals the usual lopsided
emphasis on law enforcement, incarceration, interdiction,
and asset forfeiture, at the expense of anything that
remotely resembles treatment, prevention, and education.
The DFCA makes it easier for federal law enforcement to
forfeit your boat, even if no drugs are found, and take your
assets if you happen to go astray of the ever-expanding
anti-money laundering laws.

The DFCA seeks to reduce the crack cocaine/powder cocaine
sentencing disparity by making it easier to imprison more
people for powder cocaine.

Whereas previously it would take 5 kilograms to receive a
10-year mandatory minimum, if the DFCA is enacted it would
only take 500 grams. It also changes the quantity required
to receive a five-year mandatory minimum, from 500 grams to
50 grams.

Some of the most interesting elements of the bill are
contained in the demand reduction section (Title III). Sec.
3005 prohibits any federal funds from being "expended,
directly or indirectly," on syringe exchange programs
(SEPs). Passage of such language could wipe out many SEPs in
the United States, as many programs depend on federal monies
to carry out other parts of their drug and HIV prevention
programs.

The DFCA would also:

* establish a $10,000,000-a-year "incentive grant program"
under the Department of Transportation to make it illegal to
drive with "any measurable amount" of a controlled substance
in your body. Persons convicted of the offense would be
"referred to appropriate services, including intervention,
counseling, and treatment." Persons convicted of "any
criminal offense relating to drugs" would also have their
license suspended;

* fund "innovative voluntary random drug testing programs"
under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of
1994; and

* promote closed circuit cameras in schools and the
expulsion and reporting of students to law enforcement who
sell drugs on school grounds.

Finally, DFCA's Drug-Free Families Act attacks "drug
legalization advocates," whose political campaigns,
according to the bill, have caused drug use to escalate
among children. The bill also attacks the advocates of
hemp, harm reduction, and controlled drinking.

This section of the DFCA authorizes Thomas Constantine,
administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, to
give the non-profit organization, Parent Collaboration (a
subsidiary of National Families in Action,
http://www.emory.edu/NFIA/about/partners/collaboration.html)
$25 million over five years to reinvigorate the parents'
movement of the 1970s.

Did Sue Rusche, Executive Director of National Families in
Action, write the Drug-Free Families Act for the Republican
Senators? Or does she just have friends in high places,
like co-sponsor Sen. Coverdell, who represents her home
state of Georgia? Feel free to write Ms. Rusche at
suerusche@compuserve.com or Sen. Coverdell at
senator_coverdell@coverdell.senate.gov and ask them
yourself.

The full text and status of federal legislation can
be accessed online at http://thomas.loc.gov.

***

3. New York Mayor Giuliani Reverses Himself on Methadone

Six months ago, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
horrified drug treatment experts by announcing that all
patients receiving methadone at New York City hospitals
would be weaned off in three months. Citing his preference
for "drug freedom," rather than a treatment which "exchanges
one dependence for another," Giuliani advocated an end to
the treatment that most researchers call the best hope for
countless heroin addicts.

Facing strong and immediate criticism, Giuliani
characterized methadone's advocates as "members of the
politically correct crowd" and went so far as to call Drug
Czar Barry McCaffrey, who had recently advocated for
increased availability of methadone "a disaster" (see
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/051.html#giuliani,
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/055.html#giuliani2, and
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/061.html#methadone for DRCNet
news coverage).

But on Friday of last week (1/15) Giuliani did an about face
on the issue, in the face of the realization that what he
was proposing was, in his words, "maybe somewhat
unrealistic." In fact, in the six months since the change
in official policy, only 21 of the city's 2,100 methadone
patients (the vast majority of the 36,000 city residents
using methadone are in state and federally funded programs)
got off the treatment. Of those 21, five relapsed back into
heroin use, according to city officials.

Giuliani now proposes that the city aim to move people off
of methadone without forcing them off. "Suppose" he said,
"instead of 63% of the slots being for keeping people
chemically dependent, 63% of the slots were for programs
that were for drug freedom. And we reserve 10, 15, 20,
whatever we have to for methadone for those people who need
to have a transition and for those people where drug-free
programs just can't work."

People close to the story say the mayor also paid attention
to the experts. "Several people in the methadone advocacy
movement, scientists and researchers and doctors, had
written letters to the Mayor," says Holly Catania, a senior
research associate at the Lindesmith Center in New York,
"and apparently, from his own statements, he listened to
them. I think the methadone community, especially the
patient community, is relieved to hear him publicly state
that his goal of eliminating methadone was unreasonable."

Learn more about methadone on the DRCNet site at
http://www.drcnet.org/methadone, from the Lindesmith
Center's online library at http://www.lindesmith.org, and
from the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates at
http://www.methadone.org. See The Week Online's interview
with leading methadone authority Dr. Robert Newman, online
at http://www.drcnet.org/wol/051.html#newman.

***

4. California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Kubby Arrested
for Medical Marijuana

Steve Kubby never made a secret of his medicinal use of
marijuana. In fact, his support of the implementation of
Proposition 215 was a centerpiece of his campaign for
Governor of California in 1998, and he was instrumental in
getting the proposition on the ballot in '96. But on
Tuesday morning, just days after new California Attorney
General Bill Lockyer made public statements regarding his
intention of seeing Prop. 215 fully implemented, Kubby found
his Lake Tahoe home invaded by 14 agents of the DEA, state
and local police.

Kubby suffers from Pheochromocytomo, cancer of the adrenal
gland, and has a letter from his doctor indicating that
there is no other known effective treatment for the
condition. Kubby, in fact, has forsaken drugs altogether
and has, for many years, managed his condition with
marijuana alone. Kubby's wife Michelle suffers from
irritable bowel syndrome and also uses marijuana, which
allows her to eat.

Kubby, who spoke with The Week Online from jail, said that
police found 350 plants in his home, of which 150 were small
seedlings which had not yet been separated into male
(inactive) and female plants.

"Once they got me to the jail, which obviously meant that I
was off of my medicine, they threw me into a freezing cold
cell. My blood pressure shot up, which tends to happen when
your adrenal gland isn't functioning properly. I've had
three hypertensive episodes since I've been here, I've got
horrendous headaches and I've been throwing up pretty
constantly."

Kubby, who publishes Alpine World, an online magazine
http://www.alpworld.com, told The Week Online that the
police weren't interested in documentation showing the
couple to be legitimate medicinal users.

"We have doctors' letters, we have ID from the Oakland
Cannabis Buyers' Club. In fact, my grow was inspected two
weeks ago by Jeff Jones from the Oakland club. One officer
even told me that while 215 may work in San Francisco, it
wasn't valid here."

The Kubbys have been charged with unauthorized cultivation,
possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy.
Despite the fact that they been members of the community for
over twenty years, own their home and have a two year-old
daughter, bail was set at $100,000 for each of them.

"We are an absolute zero risk of flight. This is absurd. I
believe that this is totally politically motivated."

***

5. Humboldt Residents Testify to Environmental Harm of Anti-
Marijuana Helicopters

- Dale Gieringer, California NORML, canorml@igc.apc.org,
http://www.norml.org/canorml/

REDWAY CA, Jan. 18, 1999: Eyewitnesses described the
environmental and human harm caused by marijuana eradication
helicopters at public hearings on the US Bureau of Land
Management's (BLM) proposed guidelines for marijuana
eradication operations in Northern California.

Complaints included damage to wildlife and livestock,
disruption of work and school, hazards to endangered bird
species, dangerous encounters with helicopters and armed
personnel, distress and trauma to residents in need of peace
and quiet, and habitual disregard of legally mandated
procedures by California's CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana
Planting) helicopter program.

The hearings were organized by the Civil Liberties
Monitoring Project (CLMP) and The Rights Organization (TRO)
on behalf of plaintiffs in a federal suit against the
government's 1990 Operation Greensweep, in which helicopters
and armed troops invaded a remote wilderness area of
Humboldt County to eradicate marijuana. As part of a
settlement, U.S. district judge Fern Smith ordered that the
BLM prepare guidelines to address the adverse environmental
and human impacts of anti-marijuana operations.

The hearings were presided over by retired California
appeals court judge William Newsom, who promised to issue
findings after reviewing the transcripts. TRO director Ed
Denson introduced the hearings by noting that a young
generation of southern Humboldt residents had grown up
without knowing a summer of peace in the wilderness free
from anti-marijuana helicopter disruption. Succeeding
witnesses were universally critical of the helicopter
operations.

Witnesses took strong exception to the BLM's assumption that
helicopter operations above 500 feet pose no serious threat
to endangered birds. Environmental expert Linda Derkson
presented evidence that flights beneath 2,000 feet could
cause serious harm by disrupting migration patterns and
inducing desertion of nests. Rare bird breeder Fred Bauer
testified that he had suffered $40,000 in losses from broken
eggs, abandoned nests and breeding deaths caused by CAMP
helicopters. Witnesses testified that helicopters routinely
came down to tree-top level, endangering nesting birds by
using their prop-wash to blow down foliage in search of
marijuana.

Horse trainer Susan Carmada testified how helicopters
panicked horses to the point of injury, dangerously startled
riders, and once maliciously chased a colt and its mother
around the field. Other animal breeders complained of harm
to rabbits, emu, and buffalo.

Residents who had moved to Humboldt County for wilderness
peace and quiet testified to the trauma caused by
helicopters. Telecommuter Shelly Comes described how
helicopters made it impossible to conduct business calls
with Silicon Valley and Europe. Vietnam vets testified how
the noise of helicopters exacerbated post-traumatic stress.

Schoolteacher Kim Kemp testified that helicopters had landed
on her schoolgrounds unannounced and once caused so much
noise as to force her to close her school.

CLMP spokesperson Bernadette Webster described how her
daughter, Blossom, was upset after encountering a gun-toting
Operation Greensweep guardsman in camouflage gear, who
refused to identify himself.

Former CAMP officers backed up residents' claims of
widespread abuses and violations of legal enforcement
procedure. "Every officer that's been in a helicopter
involved in the CAMP program, if they were going to tell you
the truth, would say yes, we have flown under 500 feet, we
got as close as we could to the treetops to hover, we have
looked into people's windows," testified Gary Holder, a
former deputy sheriff and CAMP officer.

Holder warned that enforceability of guidelines would be a
major problem, since CAMP personnel are brought in from out
of county and trained to believe that "everybody out there
is a bad guy."

Former CAMP commander Gene Womack complained that
confiscated marijuana was stored in a pit just 100 yards
from the dormitory of the Eel River conservation camp
correctional facility, creating an attractive nuisance for
prisoners, many of whom ended up being charged with
marijuana offenses at considerable state expense.

California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer called the use
of helicopters and paramilitary personnel "unwarranted and
inappropriate" in view of the minimal harms posed by
marijuana. He argued that the only way to control its
cultivation would be through legally regulated commerce.
The BLM declined to send spokesmen to the hearings, claiming
that they were concerned about their physical security in a
hostile community.

Local residents scoffed at the excuse, noting the strong
pacifist sentiments of the Southern Humboldt community.
Denson invoked the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., who
called on followers to "to keep on, and then keep on keeping
on" resisting government wrong through non-violent means.

The BLM guidelines are open to public comment until Feb.
10th. For more info, contact the CLMP office at (707) 923-
4646 or Ron Sinoway at (707) 923-3905.

***

6. EDITORIAL: Standing at the Schoolhouse Door

Adam J. Smith, DRCNet Associate Director, ajsmith@drcnet.org

Over the past week, much has been written and said regarding
the President's State of the Union message and the context
in which it was delivered. But while the focus of much of
the analysis has been on the lies, or misleading statements
-- depending upon the sympathies of the commentator -- that
President Clinton had uttered months earlier, there was one
such statement, which Clinton made during the address
itself, that has thus far escaped scrutiny.

Early on in the 77-minute affair, Clinton got to talking
about all of the different programs, established on his
watch, that help to defray the cost of a college education
for Americans. Clinton, being "the education President,"
noted that:

"Today we can say something we couldn't say six years ago...
we have finally opened the doors of college to all
Americans."

But in fact, on October 7, 1998, President Clinton signed
into law the 1998 Higher Education Act, which contained a
provision which threatens access to federal financial aid
for hundreds of thousands of young people. That provision
states that any person with a conviction for possession of
any controlled substance will have their financial aid
denied for one year. If the person has two convictions,
they will have to wait two years, and three convictions
means "indefinite" denial of aid. Those convicted on
distribution charges (including "intent to distribute") will
lose aid for two years, or indefinitely if they have more
than one conviction. No other class of offense, including
violent or predatory offenses, carry this added punishment.

According to the 1998 Monitoring the Future survey, more
than 50% of American high school seniors have used an
illicit substance at least once. That means that the doors
of college are potentially shut to more than half of
college-eligible students.

It is absurd, of course, for an advanced society to take
troubled kids, kids who have had a brush or two with the
law, and make it more difficult for them to improve
themselves. Common sense tells us that an education is a
path out of trouble, and offers near-certain entry into the
mainstream economy, away from the black markets that our
policies create. To the extent that the federal government
involves itself in education, it ought certainly to be
making it easier, and not more difficult for citizens to
pursue their dreams. Young people who have been in trouble,
but who, despite their difficulties, make their way to the
gates of a university ought to be commended, not turned
away.

But even more troubling than the general principle is the
discriminatory impact that the new law will have. A lack of
financial aid will not bar well-to-do students from
attending an institution, only those who could not otherwise
afford to attend. The children of most legislators, several
of whom have been arrested for drug offenses in recent
years, need not worry.

Worse still is the fact that non-whites will be hit the
hardest. African Americans, for example, who comprise 12%
of America's population, and 13% of drug users, account for
55% of those convicted for drug offenses. This is a simple
matter of the methods and patterns of drug law enforcement.
This policy then can be fairly viewed as reverse-affirmative
action.

The drug warriors, in their moralistic paternalism, have
declared that they are willing to go to any lengths to "send
a message to our children" that drug use is wrong. But only
the most backward and uncivilized parent would punish their
children by denying them an education. President Clinton,
in yet another "misleading statement," pronounced to the
nation last week that the doors of college are now open to
everyone. The reality, however, is that for more than half
of America's high school seniors, those doors will be open
only to the ones with well-to-do families, or the ones who
don't get caught.

***

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